MyHealth Weight Race Overview
Experts say the best way to acheive a healthy lifestyle is to establish healthy eating and physical
activity habits. Some people may want to lose weight while others may want to maintain a healthy weight.
Whatever your goals, successful weight management is acheived through healthy lifestyle changes maintained
over time - and the right kind of support.
That's why the University of Pittsburgh is launching the MyHealth Weight Race, a 12-week challenge for
University faculty and staff who are looking to make healthy changes. Participants are encouraged to form teams of
five and engage in reasonable weight management activities to see which team can lose the greatest percentage
of their goal weight.
MyHealth Weight Race Structure
The challenge is set up as follows:
Team Sponsors
Each team must have a sponsor - a Dean, Department Chair, or Director. The role of the Team Sponsor is to lend
his or her name to the team and provide senior-level support. Although they may sponsor multiple teams, they may
participate on one team only.
Each team sponsor should identify one or more Fitness for Life Champions from his or her area. Each
department may have multiple champions. At a minimum, one champion is needed for 100 faculty and staff participants.
Fitness for Life Champions
Champions recruit participants and provide communication to support the team's efforts. Although champions may
support multiple teams, they may participate on one team only.
View Champions by Last Name
View Champions by Building
Team Captains
Each team will designate a Team Captain from among its members. The Team Captain acts as a point of contact
and administrative lead for the team.
Teams
Teams should consist of 5 faculty or staff members. Spouses and domestic partners can join a team of 5. The name
of the team should play off of the Team Sponsor's name (e.g. Falk's Fabulous Five, the Young and the Restless, etc.).
Team names should be lighthearted but not offensive.
Contest Guidelines
- The Weight Race covers a 12-week period.
- Teams that achieve the highest percentage of their members' weight loss goals will be the event winners. Prizes will be awarded to the top 10 teams on the Oakland campus, the top 4 teams on the regional campuses and the top 2 teams in Mechanicsburg.
- Weigh-ins are confidential and will be privately conducted by graduate students from the Department of Health and Physical Activity. Participants must self-report their weights weekly. Official weigh-ins will be held at the beginning, middle, and end of the challenge.
- Weight management goals should not exceed a loss of 25 pounds per participant during the 12 weeks.
- Anyone with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of less than 18.5 is encouraged to participate but should not set a weight-loss goal.
Eligibility
The following individuals are eligible to participate in the Weight Race regardless of whether or not they carry the University's medical insurance. Please note that these individuals must be working full-time or part-time. Temporary employees and students are not eligible to participate in the Race.
- Faculty
- Staff
- Research Associates
- Post Doctoral Associates
- Post Doctoral Scholars
- Spouses or Partners of anyone in the above categories
- UPMC employees that work directly with Pitt employees (i.e. in the same department. Note that the Weight Race is not open to all 20,000+ UPMC employees)
Since prizes are considered taxable income according to the IRS, only Pitt employees are eligible to receive prizes. Winners can expect to see the taxable amount in their May paychecks. As such, winners must still be employed at the time prizes are awarded in order to receive a prize. Spouses/partners and UPMC employees are not eligible for prizes but may still participate in the race.